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The two aspects of happiness

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Posted 03/04/06 - 09:32 AM:	#11
I don't find it even a little surprising that one 'type' of happiness is correlated with the other. People who practice the means of attaining desires (personal expression) will also attain those desires (hedonistic). On a simplified level, it isn't really much different from saying that there is a correlation betwdeen people who are unemployed and people who are homeless. I don't see that happiness has anything to do with this correlation. I don't see the value in making these particular distinctions. Any idea what kind of ideas Waterman started with in order to make the categorical distinctions he does? I've never seen happiness broken up in this way, and frankly don't see any point in doing so.
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devotchka
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2 of 2 people found this post helpful Posted 03/04/06 - 08:51 PM:	#12
i agree with Pyrite. "personal expression" seems to be a more long-term happiness than "hedonistic enjoyment". hedonistic seems to be more of an instant gratification sort of thing, whereas personal expression manifests itself for a longer period of time. personal expression is an output that effects the world externally, but also affects the individual internally. hedonistic enjoyment affects the internal, but only for a short period of time because there is no exertion. so in these ways they can be defined as two different degrees of happiness, measured by the length of their manifestations. but i do not believe they are two separate forms of happiness.
-alexa

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